A huge success since the release of the first version in 2012, the Raspberry Pi has been, since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, very difficult to find.
Launched in February 2012, the first model of Raspberry Pi was initially thought to democratize access to computers thanks to an absolutely ridiculous hardware cost and a set of free software solutions. In ten years, versions have followed one another at a fairly regular pace, with a few particular variations bringing a breath of fresh air to the concept. In addition to the Model A and Model B (Raspberry Pi 1, 2, 3 and 4), there have been the " Zero " and " Pico " products, as well as the " Compute Model " and a very special solution, integrated with a keyboard, the Raspberry Pi 400.
All these versions have enjoyed remarkable support from the Raspberry community, because the developer has always been able to keep the cost relatively low. Alas, with the Covid-19 pandemic, two worries changed the deal. First, there was the disruption of supply chains and the whole logistics aspect. More inconveniently, the semiconductor industry experienced an exposure of demand that hampered the production of high-end components, but also and especially of more basic chips. The Raspberry Pi has been hit hard and for several months now it has been almost impossible - as a private individual - to get your hands on a Raspberry.
Aware of the problem, Eben Upton - CEO of Raspberry Pi Trading Ltd, which handles all the commercial aspects of the single board computer - gave a very honest answer to questions from Christopher Barnatt of the YouTube channel Explaining Computers. He was able to explain that the difficult situation that the Raspberry Pi production has been going through should end soon. He sees 2023 as " a year to recover " and have more inventory at resellers. In fact, while recent rumors have pointed to a possible Raspberry Pi 5 announcement, Eben Upton has quashed those hopes.
The CEO emphasized that "we should not expect a Pi 5 next year ", pointing out that the situation is just beginning to improve. " What would be a real disaster would be to try to introduce something like a Raspberry Pi 5 product," adds Eben Upton, before adding that " if we launch a Raspberry Pi 5 today, it will either not take off because of the various constraints that exist or it will cannibalize our entire supply chain [...] The good news is that from the second half of the year, and then into 2024, many of these constraints should be reduced. Ending on a hopeful note is a good omen, even if the Raspberry Pi 5 is clearly not coming soon.
